Getting people excited about their data one visual at a time™

TheMetadata API is read-only, Admin-Only GraphQL API which enables Admins to ask and answer a number of new questions about their Tableau Server ecosystem such as the following:

Field/Column Usage -> What are the fields, formulas, and tables in use?

Impact of Changes -> Would changing or removing this database column have any impact in Tableau workbooks or datasources?

Workbook Lineage -> Which tables from which databases are being used in this workbook or view?

Modification Visibility -> What calculated fields have been created on this particular database column?

Data Source and Workbook Metadata -> What are the fields in this data source? What are their descriptions? For calculations, what are their formulas?

And many more.

Prior to this API, Tableau customers had to do custom XML parsing of Tableau Workbooks and Data Sources to answer these types of questions. Now they can use a simple API to do the same much more easily!

Nested Sort Update

Nested sort was introduced in 2018.2. Tableau has updated it to enable advanced workflow.

Nested sort is the default sort from the toolbar sort buttons

Nested sort (jagged 4-bar sort icon) is shown on the dimension pill with nested sort, similar to “Field” sort, nested sort can be applied to any dimension pill

Sort dialog has been updated to show nested sort in addition to other sort options from before; now nested sort can use a different measure other than that of the viz

When there are dimension pills on both shelves, then any nested sort will apply the filter, which can be removed within sort dialog.

Export to PowerPoint

Now you can export snapshots of Tableau workbooks to PowerPoint from Tableau Desktop and Tableau Server!

Tableau will capture static images from a workbook and export them into PowerPoint. Each tab in the workbook shows up in a separate PowerPoint slide.

A title slide is added to the PowerPoint which contains the name of the workbook as well as a link back to the workbook on Tableau Server. Date and time published is also recorded in the title slide.

The feature respects ‘what you see is what you get’. So any filtering or selection in the viz is reflected in the exported PowerPoint file.

During authoring, users can select a new custom size named PowerPoint (1600×900) that helps them create a viz that would look great in PowerPoint.

Vector Tile Maps

This feature replaces the underlying technology that powers Tableau background maps. With the Vector Tile Maps feature, interacting with background maps in Tableau will feel smooth and fluid. The user will be able to pan, zoom, and otherwise navigate around the map, and background contextual elements will dynamically adapt to the map view. The map now supports continuous zooming so the map will always render crispy, no matter the scale. The background cartography of the map has also been updated.

Other New Features

Cloud File Connectors – Connect and access Dropbox, OneDrive and Google Drive from within Tableau on the web.